In many manufacturing environments, teams of associates on a production line perform a series of operations in order to install a single component on a manufactured product. Each operation may further involve a series of tasks. The series of operations define a process that the associates follow to complete the installation. In a manufacturing environment such as an automotive assembly plant, 30-40 teams of associates may work on the production line. Each team may perform 10-12 processes where each process involves 5-10 operations and each operation involves another 5-10 tasks. The various manufacturing processes that comprise different series of operations are often developed by other associates who study and analyze data from a variety of sources when creating a new process for use on the production line.
Creation of a process often involves the following activities. First, the associate studies the component to be installed on the manufactured product. Next, the associate describes the series of operations and related tasks that comprise the installation process. Times are typically assigned to each of the tasks that comprise the operation. For tasks that are common to many operations (and therefore, the installation of many components), the times associated with the tasks may be obtained from a database of task completion times. For a task that has not been defined previously, the associate may need to study individuals performing the task and determine an appropriate time to be assigned to the task. In developing a process, the associate may be required to confirm part data such as part numbers for the component and delivery points on the production line for the necessary parts. The associate also determines which manufactured products use the defined process. The associate may further define an operation standard for use by production line associates who will be responsible for installation of the component on the manufactured product. The operation standard may include a brief description of the process, a units of operation description that explains the individual tasks required to complete the process, descriptions of the safety and quality issues involved in installation of the component, and a description of problems that may be encountered when installing the component. The operation standard may also include pictures and drawings for the production line associate to review while training on a process. Finally, the associate may create a variety of different reports related to all of the processes that have been defined.
The manufacturing processes are typically developed using a variety of software-based tools. For example, one tool may support the entry of a process description that comprises a series of operations and related tasks. A second tool may be used to create an operation standard for use by associates on the production line. A third tool may be used to verify part number data. A fourth tool may be used to obtain information about delivery points on the production line. A fifth tool may support the entry of time data and other data related to each of the tasks that define an operation. Several other tools may be used to analyze and generate reports related to all processes used on the production line.
Some of the software tools that are used may be mainframe tools while other tools are PC-based. In many instances, data from one tool must be reentered in another tool in order to complete an activity. Data reentry is a time-consuming and error-prone activity that the associates must complete in order to manage all of the manufacturing processes. As a result, development and editing of manufacturing processes is a labor-intensive activity.
Despite the labor-intensive process, different software tools are used because they allow an associate to obtain and track various data items associated with the process and allow the associate to analyze and verify certain aspects of the process before it is introduced to the production line associates. The collection and editing of data related to the processes after they have been introduced on the production line is another important activity performed by the associate. Study and analysis of the manufacturing processes allows a manufacturer to identify improvements to the processes. The process improvements may result in a number of benefits to the manufacturer including increased productivity, improved product quality, and a reduction in workplace accidents.
Systems and methods for measuring or assigning times to tasks have been created. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,280 to Corrigan discloses a method for measuring the time cycles involved in a series of manufacturing tasks. The recorded time cycles are compared with predetermined standards to identify faulty operations in the production line. Maynard Software Products has developed MOST®, a work measurement tool that supports the creation and maintenance of a database of work sub-operations using MOST® (Maynard Operation Sequence Technique). A sub-operation is a discrete, logical, and measurable part of a task. A user may create steps within a sub-operation using MOST® keyword descriptions. The software automatically produces times for each of the steps based on the MOST® parameters entered by the user. U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,280 and MOST® support systems and methods for time measurements related to tasks, but do not support all of the activities associated with process development. Therefore, there is a need for a process data development and analysis system and method that supports all activities that may be performed by an associate and that eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone activity of data reentry required by current software systems.